Team of Philadelphia elected officials launch campaign to increase number of Black men voting in November

team of philadelphia elected officials launch campaign to increase number of black men voting in november

A 12-foot-tall likeness of 19th century civil rights activist Octavius Catto stands on the south south side of Philadelphia City Hall.

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners and four City Council members on Tuesday announced the start of a get-out-the-vote campaign targeting one specific group: Black men.

“The importance of Black male voter engagement cannot be overstated,” said recently elected Councilmemnber Jeff Young.

He’s one of the four Council members who, along with Commissioner Omar Sabir, are leading a push to register 2,024 new Black male voters before the Nov. 5 general election. To announce their plans, they gathered on the south side of City Hall near the statue of Octavius Catto, a 19th century Black teacher, athlete and civil rights activist who was murdered by a white supremacist on Election Day in 1871.

“When Black men participate in the electoral process, they not only assert their rights as citizens but contribute to the collective advancement of our city,” said Young.

Young and his City Council colleagues Isaiah Thomas, Anthony Philips and Nic O’Rourke, like Sabir, are Black men under 40 and say their presence in city government shows the importance of engaging voters like them.

Sabir says there is no actual data to indicate whether Black men are underrepresented among voters. Registration forms don’t require voters to identify their race. But voter turnout figures from election to election give reason for concern.

“The lower you are on the socio-economic scale, the less likely you are to vote,” Sabir said.

Thomas says they’ll be holding voter registration events, visiting schools and knocking on doors to encourage registration and turnout.

“We’re looking for that person who voted maybe one in the last four elections, and we want to convince them to recognize that this is the year that we need them to get off the sidelines, put a little skin in the game and make sure they’re voting,” he said.

Thomas says the campaign also wants to combat misinformation about elections and the tired argument that voting doesn’t matter.

Philips says everyone can join in the effort: “Find a young person who may or may not understand the importance of voting. Take them under your wing. Model the fact that you vote — so you’re going to be able to inspire them to vote as well.”

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